The announcement followed comments regarding “Islamic
fundamentalism,” which she said “causes thousands of
deaths every day worldwide.”

Le Pen further said she would speak to French President Francois
Hollande about radical Islam and measures needed to protect
“the countrymen.”

The last execution occurred in France in 1977. Capital punishment
was officially abolished in 1981, although 62 percent of the
French population supported it at the time, according to a poll
conducted by TNS Sofres. Support for the death penalty, however,
has subsequently dropped off.

Following Wednesday's deadly attack on the office of satirical
weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris, Le Pen made a passionate speech
against what she called an "odious ideology."

“We must not be scared of saying the words: this is a
terrorist attack carried out in the name of radical Islam,”
Miss Le Pen said.

“Time is up for denial and hypocrisy,” she continued.
“The absolute rejection of Islamic fundamentalism must be
proclaimed loudly and clearly.”

Critics have accused Le Pen of ratcheting up anti-immigrant and
anti-Muslim sentiments for political purposes.

Tensions are running high across France following Wednesday’s
attack, which left 10 journalists and two police officers dead.
Several Muslim places of worship have been the target of attack
since Wednesday night. Following reports of an
attack on a kebab shop in the Eastern French town of
Villefranche on Thursday, four training grenades were
thrown into the courtyard of a mosque in the French city of
Le Mans. One of the grenades exploded, but no injuries were
reported. A gunshot was also reported overnight, with the bullet
hitting the mosque.

An assailant also opened fire near a Muslim prayer room in the
Port-la-Nouvelle district near Narbonne in southern France on
Wednesday night. The door to the room was damaged and a window
was broken, but no injuries were reported in the attack. The
local prosecutor told AFP the room was empty at the time of the
attack.

An investigation into the incident is currently underway.

France is home to Europe’s largest Muslim population, with nearly
five million people practicing Islam out of a population of
roughly 65 million. President Hollande has called for national
unity following the tragedy.

As the president of FN, Le Pen has vowed to drastically curb
immigration if elected president.

According to the latest opinion polls, if France were to hold its
presidential election today, Le Pen would lead in the first
round.

The French presidential election is set to be held in April and
May of 2017.